Ocean spirit
by Graceaga
Summary: 'I walk up to the stage as quickly as I can, my one remaining hand reaching to touch the shark tooth that hangs from my neck like I do whenever I am nervous.'


"Where are you going?" Salacia, my big sister, asks as I slip downstairs in my reapening outfit: a sea-green dress with sea-shells emroidered around the edge.

I don't bother answering; she knows where I'm headed.

"Can you just help me with the stock, first?" she says reasonably "God knows where Neptune is." Salacia runs a sea-shell necklace company that is quite popular amongst the rich residents. Neptune is my older brother and her twin. He barely does any work.

So I help her stack the boxes of stock onto the old pony trap before rushing on my way. It's difficult stacking boxes with only one arm. I don't know why she bothers, nobody will buy anything today. They'll all be at home preparing for the worst. I do know why she bothers, she wants us to live better, and she wants us to be richer. She wants to stop the suffering. I should go help her like I do some days. But there are others I love, other people to say goodbye to.

We meet on the beach. Not the ugly grey pebble beach that the victors ride past on the victory tour each year, that's nearest the town square, this one is quite beautiful. The waves are a luscious blue, the sand is golden. The sun seems to shine just that bit brighter here. We should be heading to the square, but it's our tradition to meet here.

I can't go in the sea, but that doesn't matter; I don't need to feel the waves rushing about me to see the beauty. I know under that beauty there is danger. We all just sit, staring at its magnificent beauty. I shiver a little, remembering.

"Are you okay, Ocean?" Blue asks, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. Louise huddles up to me as it becomes cold.

"Fine…just remembering," I say. They understand.

We don't speak again until the fourth member of our party arrives. Seal. He is covered from head to foot in splodges of what looks like tar. He wears his oldest clothes. I can hear his well-earned money jangling in a pocket

"Oil spill on the other beach." He explains before slumping down beside us.

"Only you would get a job like _that_ on reapening day," Blue says with a little laugh "Aren't you going to get changed? When I go to the capitol I want to look n-"

"Nice, yes, we know." Seal says, "That's why you spray your hair blue."

"No, I spray my hair blue because I want to make a statement." She answers.

No matter where we meet, no matter what day of the week it is, they always seem to end up fighting about something. Normally the hunger games. Blue has been trained up like a proper career since she was about three. Seal despises the games. He has never entered the training centre in his life. He is also the poorest of us all, but he doesn't volunteer for money or riches. He gets money through hard work. He often states he'd rather die in the hunger games then come out a victor.

"Shut up," Louise says "Just don't fight today." They both shut their mouths and forget whatever insults they were about to fire at each other. Although only seven years old, they both listen. She's the only one of us that doesn't have to worry about the reapening. Well, I expect she'll worry about us.

"How many times?" Louise then asks.

Blue clears her throat, "Three." Blue is rich. She lives in one of the big houses in the hills. Her name is entered the correct amount of times. Seal and I both take out terrasea.

I lick my lips nervously before replying, "Twenty-two."

Seal doesn't answer.

"Seal?" Blue asks.

"Fifty-one." He says after a sizeable pause.

He refuses to let his family take out terrasea. His two little brothers and sister. He only takes out terrasea when he really needs it. He mostly works hard but some months there are no jobs and he is forced to take out terrasea. This is more often than he likes to say.

"We should get back," Blue says, trying to smother the silence. "My father will go mad if I'm late again."

We were late last year. I don't want to go through that experience again. So we all reluctantly agree to leave the one last beautiful place in district four. The square is a long way off.

We sign into the square and slip through the barrier of peacekeepers just as the mayor starts his speech. We all split up, I get lost in a crowd of other sixteen-year-olds, blue slips in a few sections back, Louise finds Salacia in the ring of families and they stand together with fear in their eyes, and seal is just across from me, in the boys section. Blue, a few sections back, in the fourteen-year-old section, but I can still see her lips moving silently to complete the speech. We all know it off by heart; it's been the same every year since I can remember.

The next part is the same too. The escort, fresh from the capitol marches into the centre and babbles on a bit about how the odds are not in our favour.

"Ladies first!" she exclaims, swishing her way over to the bowl. Her pale fingers swirl up the papers before she selects one.

"Ocean Spirit!"

My name sounds wrong in her tones.

I walk up to the stage as quickly as I can, my one remaining hand reaching to touch the shark tooth that hangs from my neck like I do whenever I am nervous.

I clamber up to the stage, taking in the crowd of gawping people. Usually, at a moment like this the square would be teeming with waving hands and shouts wanting to be chosen. Instead I am met with the stillness of the square and silence.

I take in the crowd, tears slide down Salacia's face as she holds onto the screaming figure of Louise. Although they are far away I can see the redness of her skin and the hot tears that stream down her face. Seal is a statue, his hands clenched into fists but he can do nothing. Blue's face is angered. Her mouth is twitching slightly, her hand shaking. She plans on volunteering. My eyes connect with hers. I shake my head firmly.

It's too late, anyway. Our escort is selecting the male.

"S-"

"I volunteer!" A voice from the male section yells. So now we get volunteers.

I take in the figure of him, a big monster of a guy.

I don't stand a chance.

* * *

**A/N: It might be a while before you get the next part of this as I am currently working on other stories. I have decided to continue, though. Any ideas/comments/problems please send them to me.**


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